Hey, Nature Lovers!
Outdoor camping trips have remained at the heart of the summer camp experience since the very beginning. Essentially, they’re what summer camp is all about: escaping the big city and reconnecting with nature to help further our physical, emotional, and spiritual development. For one man, the summer camp experience wouldn’t be enough. He up and moved his family out of the city and into the wilderness of Madison, Wisconsin to escape the city life permanently.
Born in 1887, a true lover of nature, he spent his early years exploring the outdoors with his family. He studied at Yale University and later joined the Forest Service. But by 1935, he was done with living in the city.
Aldo believed that humans should view themselves as members of a larger community that includes the land, plants, and animals. He took careful notes about the plants and animals that surrounded his new home and kept journal entries that reflected his philosophy.
His most notable work, ‘The Sand County Almanac’ was published in 1949. Along with his essays and other written works, his unique approach to the natural world has changed the way scientists think about it. He developed this concept into something he called a ‘land ethic’.
The home that Aldo built and lived in with his family is still standing, not too far away from the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Having visited myself a number of years back, I can say it is a truly inspiring experience.
- John